notes by nyx

First Discoveries

One of the most wonderful things about having a child is seeing the world through their eyes, and everything for a first time.

Last winter in Germany, Karsten discovered that frosty thing called snow—and he wanted to eat it all.

The sights, sounds, senses, are all new and interesting, and the familiar becomes amazing. Last week, we explored the wonderful world of Play Dough, creating our own sculptures together. (That, I quickly told him, was NOT food.)

Before we went to Europe in 2008, my husband told me that the pre-winter weather was very gloomy, and the rain depressing. But (since I had the luxury of not having to go to work every day during that time) I so enjoyed it. Those misty forests, the weather so cold you had to wear layers and layers of clothes…and for the first time, I could wear my long hair down all day and not be bothered with humidity!

Of course, I also learned to quickly close the door upon entry in a restaurant, to keep the chills out. I learned to love Glühwein in the evenings—or any time of the day. Mornings were for waking up and staring out the window, taking in the view of our pretty Sachsen countryside, its skies still grey, still beautiful.

Now, my son is creating words on his own for the first time. It’s an incredible feeling, as a parent, to realize that all humans had to go through this learning stage, to express and communicate, and form words; that big step towards independence.

Do you remember your first time at anything? First airplane flight, first deep sea dive, first time to own a cellphone, first kiss?

What was your feeling of discovery like? How has your attitude towards the very same things changed since then? Share it in the comment box below 🙂